Chambi Julie, COMINSUD – Bamenda

We have been working on conflict resolution in the North West Region ?

Here is my colleague, Mr. Munda Terence. We have been working on conflict resolution in the North West Region for the past three years within the CPS Program. We have been struggling to reduce conflicts and to get people more tolerant and inclusive. We have been trying to promote the idea of peace in 16 council areas within the North West Region, spreading over 63 villages. So far there are a lot of impacts of the work that we have done: we have trained community peace monitors and they are doing a great job in their communities. In some areas, let me just take a few examples. If we go to a community like WIDIKUM, there was a situation where bike riders could not work smoothly, because of the multiple check points set up by the non-stete armed and the state armed groups on the road. Because of the work that our community peace builders were doing, they had to do some of negotiations with the non-stste armed and the state armed groups so that they reduce the number of check points on the way.

As a result, some of those check points were only mounted on market days. Even though the question we may ask is if it is legal to collect money? At least, the legal collection that went throughout the week, this time could only be done on market days. Besides, the check points were reduced and through the work of the community peace builders, the work was equally done in FUNDONG. Sometimes to leave FUNDONG to BAMENDA, the normal fare which used to stand at 1000FCFA rose to 5000FCFA, sometimes 6000FCFA as following the numerous check points on the road as a result of the crisis. For that reason, It became very challenging for people to go to these places. Thanks to the work that our community peace builders were doing, the transport fare was reduced. They had to negotiate with both parties to see that it was reduced to between 2000 and 3000FCFA maximum.

Before, we could not talk about peace, but now, you see, people are more willing. At first people could not express themselves to say how they feel about the crisis but because of the work that we have been doing, telling people to be able to tolerate others, there is a little more freedom and tolerance. At first, we could not say something contrary to what another person thought, they will tag you a "black leg" and that will be it.

With the work that we have been able to do in these communities, a lot has changed, Late last year we organized an event that permitted people to speak out what they felt. This event was intended to bring together close to 2000 persons. However, we registered about 700 or 800 persons. People from the crowd were willing to come out and speak out, express themselves on how they were affected by the crisis. They equally used the opportunity to send a message to the parties involved, calling on them; the non-state armed and the step armed groups, you know, to stop illegal activities in their communities so they can be free and move about on their regular activities.

A lot has changed with this project on the field. For the past three years and the work still on, we can say that we have succeeded in reducing the rate of violence in the communities. People are now more tolerant, most people are now returning to their homes. In some areas in BELO, DJINIKOM and FUNDONG, the people who are actually in the villages are calling their brothers to come back home. The members of the non-state armed groups are calling people to come back and leave in the villages and a lot of people are returning home. So we think that it is a great work that has been done so far, though it is not yet completed because the war is still on and the challenges are still many, the work still continues.